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We often think about how land animals survive the winter, but what about marine animals? Manatees despite their hefty appearance have only about an inch of fat to insulate them from cold water temperatures, meaning that they can die of hypothermia when water temperatures dip below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer, manatees can be [...]

Did you know that wetlands help moderate global conditions? They store carbon in their plants and soil and act as a sink that counter-balances carbon dioxide emitted into the air from plant and animal respiration and combustion of materials such as coal, oil and natural gas. Viewer Tip: Protect wetlands by keeping household chemicals out [...]

Did you know that 75 percent of U.S. commercial fish and 80 to 90 percent of the recreational fish catch is dependant on estuaries (areas where fresh water and salt water mix) for habitat at some point during their lives? Viewer Tip: Estuary habitats can be degraded by erosion, pollution or chemicals that reach the water [...]

Did you know that Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest open-water estuary (an area where freshwater and saltwater mix)? The Tampa Bay watershed covers more than 400 square miles and drains more than 2300 square miles of land! Viewer Tip: With such a large watershed area draining to Tampa Bay, it’s important to remember that what affects water [...]

Did you know that weeds are the leading pest problem with lawns in Lousiana? Some weeds begin to germinate and grow slowly during the winter months, even though grass may be dormant. Once spring temperatures roll around, these weeds can shoot up quickly. Treating your lawn now can help to avoid major weed invasions this [...]

Alabama has over 180 different species of freshwater mussels in its rivers and streams. Freshwater mussels are bivalve organisms related to clams and oysters. They act as food for aquatic animals, fishes and birds, as well as some land mammals. Mussels are filter feeders, meaning they feed by taking in water, filtering out plankton (microscopic [...]

The Galveston Bay Watershed is fed by two major rivers – Trinity and San Jacinto – and contains five sub-bays – Trinity, Upper Galveston, Lower Galveston, East Bay, and West Bay. Together, the five sub-bays have 1,171 miles of shoreline and the entire Galveston Bay watershed covers more than 33,000 square miles of land, including [...]

The Mobile Bay watershed is the fourth largest watershed and the sixth largest river system in the United States! Freshwater from the watershed flows into Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico from several sources: The Mobile-Tensaw, Blakely, Apalachee, Dog, Deer, Fowl and Fish Rivers. Viewer Tip: With so many sources contributing water to Mobile [...]

Mobile Bay is home to a number of threatened and endangered species, including the American Bald Eagle, five species of sea turtle, sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins and the West Indian manatee. All of these animals can be negatively impacted by poor water quality in the Bay. Viewer Tip: Please don’t dump paints, oil, antifreeze or [...]

The Mississippi and Mobile-Tensaw river basin provides critical habitat for songbirds migrating over the Gulf of Mexico, which stop there for rest and re-nourishment after their long flights. In addition, the basin provides habitat for colonial nesting birds, large aggregations of sea birds and wading bids that nest together and feed on fish. The U.S. [...]

Homeowners alone use over 100 million pounds of pesticides in their gardens and yards each year. These chemicals are often transported to rivers and streams in the form of runoff during a rain event and can eventually end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Of the 30 pesticides most commonly used by homeowners, 17 are detected [...]

“Eutrophication” occurs when nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous increase the growth of algae in a water body. Too much algae can deplete oxygen from the water, killing fish and shellfish, harming water quality and making the water body more susceptible to invasion of introduced (foreign or exotic) species. Viewer Tip: You can help reduce [...]

Because Galveston Bay Watershed is home to Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., water pollution is of special concern in this area. When it rains, rainwater carries a variety of pollutants from city surfaces into storm drains, rivers and bayous that eventually reach the Bay. These “non-point” sources of pollution include runoff from gas [...]

Oil spills can severly harm the environment and have impacts on humans as well! In July of 2008, 419,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil were spilled into the Mississippi River when a chemical tanker collided with a fuel barge. Fuel #6 is thick and dark, and it is estimated that only five to ten percent [...]